While Charles has been doing all of our blog writing so far, I want to share a few musings as I sit here in free lodging provided by a very generous couple in Colville, WA.

We have been on the road for only a week but have already experienced so much. What I have taken away from our trip so far is, first and foremost, that we get so caught up in our daily lives, the news we see on TV and read about in the media, and the relative “sameness” of our friends and acquaintances that we forget to appreciate the differences and the qualities of our fellow Americans or maybe even forget to fully appreciate that those who are different than we are have so much to offer and contribute so much to the well-being of others. Two experiences from our short ride to date reflects what I mean and make me believe, no matter how this political season seems to have placed us in “us vs. them” camps, that as individuals, we are better than that.

Story #1: Small-town USA. When we rode into Tonasket, WA we were greeted by the annual Founder’s Day parade. We took a small detour to get to the Visitors Center behind which we planned on setting up our tent, since bicyclists are allowed to camp there for free. We spent the rest of the parade on the porch of the visitors center watching the parade and talking to 10 or so locals, many of whom were visitor center volunteers. They made us feel right at home, told us stories about the various parade participants, gave us suggestions for our bike route and told us of the rodeo taking place that evening. Long story short, one couple drove us out to the rodeo that evening, introduced us to their friends, and we all went out for beers afterwards and had a great time. The next morning, we altered our route based on the recommendation of one of our drinking companions, and climbed 12 miles out of town to their home where they generously fed us breakfast, provided us with a biking map that they have lent out twice before to cyclists, always with the proviso that it be mailed back, and showed us their beautiful home which they built from scratch themselves, showed us their wine cellar with wine they make, and sent us on our way with self-dried apricots and cool water. The hospitality we experienced in Tonasket was heart warming and we hope that we have learned from our new friends there what being welcoming is all about. We will definitely stay in touch.

Story #2: Colville, WA. In Colville we are staying in an apartment above a storage area that was built solely to offer shelter to cyclists on the Northern Tier ride by the couple whose house sits on the hill behind us. They provide wifi, all utilities, a kitchen to use and laundry facilities and expect no payment. This is astonishing enough. Even more impressive and selfless is what they have done and continue to do with their lives. They spent four years in Malawi with their two oldest children where Barry served as a physician. Since returning to the US in 1990 they have traveled to Africa pretty much every year to “help” including teaching, working at orphanages and providing medical services. Back at home, they hold an annual fund raiser for causes like supporting girls who have been taken into sexual slavery, Father Jean Bosco’s orphanage, purchasing mattresses for a pediatric ward, etc. Today, Shelley drove us into town to go shopping while she made soup for a non-profit kitchen she runs whose primary purpose is to provide jobs for high-school students. Shelley and her husband, Barry, recently bought a house in town (they called it an Oxford house, of which there are numerous in the US) that they rent out to people who are trying to recover from drug-addiction. And Barry works as a physician to low-income patients. Wow! How impressive is all that? And I’m sure I haven’t covered the half of it. We are truly humbled.

More musings:

Politics: We haven’t had a lot of political conversations, but it appears clear that a reputable third party candidate would have had a lot of support in this election. I am thankful that we have removed ourselves a bit from the “angst” of this political season.

Driving: To date we have had only one “mean driver” experience (someone who honked at us for over a minute as we were trying to make a left hand turn) but as we entered Canada we were told of a truck driver who the day before had purposefully hit a rider. Thank goodness, most drivers have made an effort give us a wide berth.

Rivers: Riverbeds here have water in them. What a concept!

The Cascades in Canada on the way to Colville, WA

Questions:

1. While on a long stretch of country road, I made a point of waving to every oncoming car. Every single pick-up driver waved back. About 50% of car drivers did. Are pick-up drivers inherently friendlier? Does owning a pick-up make you friendly?

2. For every snake that gets squished crossing the road, how many actually make it across?

3. Why do Americans seem to collect junk cars in their yards more than any other nationality?

4. What happens to the things that were bolted in by all the bolts we’ve seen on the side of the road? Ditto with the items clamped in by the clamp I saw? And what happened to the two sofas from which single cushions appear to have been lost on the road?

These are just a sampling of the kind of things we think about as we’re riding. Life is pretty simple on the road. Greetings from the outskirts of Colville.

Maja